Brake lever for a bicycle

Abstract

A brake lever mounted to a drop type handle for a bicycle, comprising a main lever substantially parallel to a bent rod section and an auxiliary lever parallel to a straight rod section of the drop type handle. The auxiliary lever is shiftable in pivoted position from the main lever so that the strokes of both levers may cause substantially equal strokes of a control wire and so that the grip dimension, the distance between the auxiliary lever and the straight rod section, may be adjusted.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A brake lever means mounted on a drop type bicycle handle comprising a straight rod section and a substantially U-shaped bent rod section extending downward and forward from the straight rod section, said brake lever means comprising: a bracket means fixed to said bent rod section of the drop type handle;   a lever spindle;   a main lever pivotally mounted above a first axis to said bracket means through said lever spindle, said main lever being substantially parallel to said bent rod section;   a wire retainer on said main lever for retaining one end of a control wire for controlling a brake of the bicycle;   an auxiliary lever pivotally mounted about a second axis to one side outer surface of said bracket means, said second axis being more remote from said wire retainer than said first axis of said main lever, said auxiliary lever being engagable with said main lever to actuate same, whereby the bicycle brake is operable by both said levers, and the position of said second axis is changeable so that the distance between said auxiliary lever and said straight rod section of the drop type handle may be adjusted.   
     
     
       2. The brake lever means according to claim 1, further comprising a mount spindle nonrotatably mounted on said bracket means, said mount spindle being shiftable to a position more remote from said wire retainer than the first main lever pivoting axis and comprising a projection at one axial end thereof which extends outwardly of said one side surface of the bracket means, a pivot means pivotally supporting therewith said auxiliary lever, said projection being within said pivot means, said pivot means being eccentric to the axis of said mount spindle so that variation of the position of the projection within the pivot means varies the axis of said pivot means relative to the axis of said mount spindle. 
     
     
       3. The brake lever means according to claim 2, wherein the outer periphery of said mount spindle, at least at said projection, is polygonal in cross-section, and said pivot means has a corresponding inner surface, polygonal in cross-section, so that the position of the projection in the pivot means may be changed to shift the axis of said pivot means around the axis of said mount spindle. 
     
     
       4. The brake lever means according to claim 2, wherein the outer periphery of said mount spindle, at least said projection, has a large number of equally spaced axially extending grooves defined therein, and said pivot means has an inner periphery having a large number of grooves defined therein which mesh with said grooves in said mount spindle so that the position of the projection in said pivot means may be changed to shift the axis of said pivot means around the axis of said mount spindle. 
     
     
       5. The brake lever means according to claim 2, wherein a through bore is defined in an intermediate portion of said mount spindle, a mount bolt extending through said through bore, and said mount bolt is attached to a tight band for fixing said bracket means to the drop type handle.